Adjustable multiple fluid atomizing nozzle



. i969 i a. J. @BRIEN 3,421,702

ADJUSTABLE MULTIPLE FLUID ATOMIZING NOZZLE Filed Aug. 2, 1967 55 2@ @9 if f2 United States Patent O 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The following sets forth a description of a novel multiple uid adjustable nozzle arrangement wherein the nozzle position is adjustable over an area dened by a spherical plane. The arrangement of the invention permits adjustment of the nozzle relative to a fixed body portion under actual working pressures and without disturbing fluid ow, thereby eliminating the need to shut down, loosen the nozzle from the body portion and readjust its position, which is typical of many prior art devices.

Thus, in an application such as gear lubrication, wherein a lubricant is atomized by air under pressure at the nozzle tip, adjustment of the nozzle to focus the spray pattern on a particular area is possible in accordance with the invention, at any time during operation, and without disturbing the xed position of the body.

Detailed disclosure The present invention relates to improvements in multiple fluid nozzles of the type in which two or more uids are directed, through discrete passages, to a nozzle orifice where they are ejected towards a predetermined work area.

An objective of the present invention is to provide such a duo-fluid nozzle wherein the nozzle orifice may be adjusted to focus the efliuent over a substantial range of work areas from a fixed body position. It is an object of the invention, related to the foregoing, to permit adjustment of the nozzle position under operating conditions, and without loosening and re-tightening uid connections which might result in leakage of one or more liuids which are under pressure during operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear from the detailed disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG-URE 1 is a fragmented view of the device, looking directly towards the nozzle orifices, and illustrating the socket and sealing arrangement of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of IFIGURE 1, Sectioned along lines 2 2 thereof; and

FiEGURLE 3 schematically illustrates an exemplary range of spray patterns, demonstrating the range of adjustability available with a conventional at spray nozzle mounted on the nozzle assembly of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, a particular illustrative embodiment is shown in the drawing and will be described hereinafter in detail. It will be understood that the embodiment described is for the purposes of exemplifying the invention, and does not represent the limits thereof. It is the intention to cover all modications, equivalents and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, an exemplary Multiple lCC Fluid Adjustable Nozzle constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated generally at 10. The assembly comprises a body portion 12 formed with a pair of uid inlets 14 and 16 in the shank portion thereof. It will be understood that the position and arrangement of the inlet ports 14 and 16 may vary considerably, to accommodate the system to which the assembly is to be xed, without departure from the invention. The illustrated form is but one arrangement which assists in illustration of the invention.

The body portion is formed with a flange 19 which defines a socket 20 of hemispherical contour. A ball 22 of complementary diameter is adapted to be received in bearing relation in the socket as illustrated in :FIGURE 2. A retaining cap, shown generally at 24 is provided, having an inturned ange 26 and a threaded collar 28. The tiange 19 of the body is likewise threaded at 30, and with the ball in place within the socket, as illustrated in FIGURIE 2, the retaining cap 24 is screwed onto the body portion thereby securing the ball in the socket while permitting limited rotational movement thereof.

The ball 22 serves as an adjustable carrier for a spray head such as exemplary head 33, shown in FIGURE 2. In the illustrated form, the body of the spray head is turned down to provide a threaded boss 35 which screws into a central bore 37 in the ball 22. The face of the ball, which extends beyond the contines of the flange 26 of the cap, is provided with a at 39. The plane of the lflat is preferably transverse to the axis of the bore 37 in the ball. A complementary annular shoulder 41 is machined on the spray head about the boss, and abuts the at 39 when the spray head is screwed into the ball. A sealing washer, suitably formed of I'Teflon or the like, is provided at 43 between the flat on the ball and the shoulder.

The spray head is provided with a central fluid passage 45 which communicates directly lwith a central orifice in a nozzle member 47, the specic construction of which is known. The nozzle 47 is retained on the spray head by means of a cap 50, also in a lknown manner.

:It will be remembered that a feature of the invention herein disclosed is that more than one fluid is emitted from the nozzle, and that until the respective fluids arrive at the nozzle orifice, they remain discrete and separate from one another. To this end, two separate distinct uid paths must be provided between the body inlets and the nozzle 47. Furthermore, an attribute of the invention is the capability of the nozzle body 33 to be adjusted into any one of a number of positions over a wide range in order that the emission may be directed to a specific area without moving or otherwise adjusting the position of the main body 12. This arrangement, of course, permits the main body portion to be rigidly attached to a mounting ywith a permanent plumbing arrangement which will minimize the possibility of leaks to the inlet body which might result from continuous changing of its position.

In order that the fluids may be communicated through the ball joints, there is provided, in keeping with the invention, distinct passages which provide continuous fluid communication over a range of nozzle positions.

Still referring to FIGURE 2, the socket 20` is formed with a depression or pocket 52 at the base thereof opposite the opening in the main 4body portion. This depression is in communication with one of the ports, such as the inlet port 14, through a passage 54, thus providing fluid communication between the inlet port and the base of the socket. In order to provide direct communication through the ball joint to the nozzle 47, the base of the ball disposed opposite the depression 52 is provided with an opening 56 which communicates directly with the central bore 37 into which the nozzle body 33 is fitted. The passage 45 in the nozzle body, as may be seen, leads directly to the nozzle orifice itself, thereby providing direct communication.

Since the position of the nozzle body is adjustable Within a spherical plane determined by the movement of the ball within the socket, the depression 52 is enlarged at 60 so that the area of the depression is substantially greater than that of the opening 56. Thus, rotation of the ball within specified limits, will in no way inhibit the flow of fluid from the depression 52 into the opening 56 which remains within the contines of the mouth 60 of the pocket. In addition, in order to seal the depressions 52 against leakage of fluid therefrom, a seal groove 62 is provided at the mouth of the pocket, and a seal 64, such as an O-ring seal is fitted therein and bears against the groove 62 and the surface of the ball to form a fluid tight seal, while permitting the ball to move within the socket.

The fluid in inlet 16 is likewise in communication with the socket within the body by means of a passage `67 which opens into a groove 69, machined, or otherwise formed in the wall of the socket of the body 12. The groove is annular, extending about the waist of the socket and is aligned with, and exposed to, a slot 71 formed in the ball transverse to the axis of the passage 37, which, for purposes of this disclosure, shall be considered an axis of rotation of the ball within the socket. The slot 71 cuts deeply into the ball, but stops short of the central passage 37 so as to maintain suitable separation. Passages 73 are drilled or otherwise formed in the ball parallel to the main passage 37 so as to communicate with the slot 71, thereby providing uid communication to an annular groove 73 formed on the flat 39 on the face of the ball.

In order to provide fluid communication between the ball and the nozzle, the nozzle body 33 is grooved at 77 and the gasket or washer 43 is perforated so as to permit uid communication between the grooves 75 and 77 without permitting leakage. Thus complete and unrestricted fluid communication is provided to the nozzle body. A passage 79 connects the groove 77 with a chamber 82 behind the nozzle itself, and that chamber is in communication with orifice outlets 83 to permit the uid entering the port 16 to be emitted from the nozzle. It will thus be appreciated that the illustrated construction maintains the fluids entering the ports 14 and 16 discrete at all times.

The size of the groove 69 is such as to permit the ball to rotate without blocking or inhibiting the communication between the groove and the flat 71. Thus, in accordance with a feature of the invention, fluid communication is maintained, even though the ball is rotated or moved within the socket to any of the variety of permissible positions. In order to segregate the uid entering port 16, a second O-ring seal 8S is provided which seats between a flat 86 formed on the inner surface, the cap 24 and the leading edge of the body 12. Thus, the O-rings 62 and 85 segregate the fluid in the groove 69 from the fluid in the pocket 52 at all positions of the nozzle body itself.

Reference to FIGURE 3 will make clear the wide range of positions which the nozzle body is able to assume by virtue of the present construction, A circle A indicates the practical limits of movement of the nozzle body with respect to the body 12. These limits, in the present instance, are determined by the distance between the shoulder 87 and the face 88 of the retainer cap. It will be appreciated that other spout means may be provided for limiting movement and that the amount of movement provided is a matter of choice rather than invention. It has been found that an included angle a of approximately 40 taken from a focal point F (FIGURE 2) provides a very good range of adjustment.

Again referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that the construction of the present invention is particularly useful with a nozzle which emits a at spray pattern. This is so because the ball may be rotated about a central axis, and moved anywhere within the contines of the circle A, thereby permitting complete adjustment of the spray pattern to the desired position. Nozzle assemblies of this type are useful in the lubrication of gears where a lubricant is fed from a reservoir into the port 14 under pressure, and air is discharged under pressure into the port 16. The air which is ejected through the orifice 83 atomizes the oil being ejected through the main orifice thereby providing optimum coverage of areas of contact between gears in the immediate vicinity. The spray may be directed to any one or more gears within the area without adjusting the position of the main body portion 12 by simply rotating or moving the nozzle to provide the desired coverage. It will further be understood that this may be done by virtue of the seals, `without relieving pressure within the nozzle itself. Thus, adjustability is provided without danger of leakage even under operating conditions. This feature permits the operator to see exactly where the spray is being directed while he is making the necessary adjustments, and it is not necessary for him to alternately turn the unit on and off during adjustment.

The assembly is also of value with nozzles which provide ditferent spray patterns, and for any one of a number of wide variety of uses within the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A multiple fluid nozzle assembly having a nozzle which is selectively positionable within an area defining a spherical segment, comprising a body portion, dening a socket therein, a 'ball mounted for swivel movement in said socket, a cap attached to said body over said socket for retaining said ball movably confined therein, land a nozzle body secured to said ball, the inner peripheral walls of said socket having an annular groove of predetermined width formed therein, and a depression formed in the base of said socket defining a pocket, said ball having an annular slot formed therein in alignment with the groove in said socket, and a central passage therethrough adapted to provide fluid communication between said nozzle body and said pocket, means defining a uid seal about said groove, a passage formed in said body portion in communication with said groove, and a passage in said ball between said slot and said nozzle body, whereby uid communication is provided between said body portion and said nozzle body throughout selective positioning of the latter relative to the former.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein a portion of said ball protrudes beyond said cap, said portion having a at formed thereon for mounting said nozzle body, an annular groove formed through said at and disposed about said central passage, a passage in said `ball between said annular groove on said at and slot, and means in said nozzle body in fluid communication with said annular groove and central passage when said nozzle and ball are engaged.

3. An adjustable ball and socket joint for use in adjustably connecting members having multiple fluid passages therethrough, comprising a rst member having a `ball formed thereon, a second member defining a complementary socket for receipt of said ball, and socket having independent uid passages opening therein, said ball having uid passages therethrough, the passages in said ball communicating with openings on the surface thereof so as to be in fluid communication with the openings in said socket when said ball is positioned therein, the openings in one of said members being enlarged at the point of communication with the other said member so as to permit relative movement of said `ball within said socket while retaining fluid communications between the respective passages formed therein, and sealing means between said passages for maintaining the same segregated to 5 6 thereby prevent intermixing of fluids passing there- References Cited through FOREIGN PATENTS 4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said socket is formed with a groove about the periphery there- 153327 2/1956. Sweden' of, one of said uid passages in said socket member open- 5 EVERETT W KIRBY Primary Examiner ing into said groove, one of the passages in said ball being disposed opposite said groove, said one passage being U.S. Cl. X.R. narrower than sald groove, so as to insure unrestrlcted uid communication therewith during relative movement 134-262 239-422, 549, 587 of said ball and within said socket. 10 

